Nine killed in Andhra accident, PM announces ex-gratia

Amaravati, Feb 7: Nine people returning from a wedding were killed when a car in which they were travelling was hit by a truck in Andhra Pradesh's Anantapuram district. Father of the bride was among those killed in the accident that occurred near Budagavi village of Urvakonda mandal on Sunday night, police said.

According to police the victims were returning home from a wedding in Bellary, Karnataka. The tragedy occurred when a truck coming from the opposite direction rammed into the car on Anantapuram-Bellary highway between Budagavi and Kottalapalli villages. A police officer said all the occupants of the car were killed in the collision. Police had a tough time in retrieving bodies from the badly mangled car.

The deceased include bride's father Venkatappa Naidu (58), who is state secretary of BJP Kisan Morcha. He along with other relatives was returning their home in Nimbagallu village after attending wedding of her daughter in Bellary.

The other deceased were identified as Swati (38), Jaswanth (12), Jhanvi (12), Saraswati (60), Ashok (30), Shivamma (30) and Subhadramma (60).

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the accident and announced ex-gratia from Prime Minister's National Relief Fund to the families of the deceased.

"Pained by the loss of lives due to a tragic accident in Ananthapuramu district, AP. Condolences to the bereaved families. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of the deceased," tweeted the Prime Minister on Monday.

Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan has also expressed shock over the accident and conveyed his condolences to the families of the deceased.